connection to slavery. hello and welcome to bbc news. the giant chinese balloon that had been floating over the united states has been shot down by an american fighterjet off the coast of south carolina. the balloon, which the us says was being used to spy on military sites, appeared to plummet straight into the sea. china continues to insist it was a stray civilian weather observation airship. our correspondent david willis has more from washington. officials here are saying that this chinese balloon was brought down about six miles off the coast of south carolina by a single missile fired by a us fighterjet. now, president biden had apparently given permission for such a strike on wednesday, that is a day before the actual presence of this balloon was made public. military officials decided to hold back for fear that it could spray debris down onto the mainland and hurt people on the ground below. then, today, as it was crossing the coast of south carolina, they closed loca
hello and welcome to bbc news. pakistan s former president, general pervez musharraf, has died following a long illnes. he was 79. president musharraf seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999 serving in office for seven years from 2001. and in 2019 he was sentenced to death in absentia, for treason charges for absconding the murder trial of one of his successors, benazir bhutto. at the time of his death he had been living in exile in dubai, recieving medical treatment. the bbc s gordon corera looks back on his life. 1999. and when troops stormed the national television headquarters to put pervez musharraf in power, the people of pakistan heard a familiar refrain. the nation needed another leader in uniform to save it from self serving politicians. in the past, our governments have ruled the people. it is time now for the governments to serve the people. pakistan had already been under army rule for more than half the time it had been independent. general musharraf
pope francis s historic visit to south sudan ends with an open air mass. he urged people to reject the venom of hatred and pleaded with leaders to find peace. pakistan s former president, general pervez musharraf, has died following a long illness. he was 79 years old. president musharraf seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999, serving in office for seven years from 2001. in 2008, he suffered defeat in the polls and left the country six months later. when he returned in 2013 to try to contest the election, he was arrested and barred from standing. he was charged with high treason and was sentenced to death in absentia, only for the decision to be overturned less than a month later. at the time of his death, he had been living in exile in dubai, receiving medical treatment. the bbc s gordon corera looks back on his life. 1999. and when troops stormed the national television headquarters to put pervez musharraf in power, the people of pakistan heard a familiar refr
ms pelosi has defended her trip, emphasising its purpose was to underline america s respect for taiwan s democracy. now on bbc news, shrimps, saris and guns. faarea masud investigates how the demand for shrimp is destroying land in bangladesh. along the coastline is riverbeds of rural bangladesh, thousands of fields where rice was once grown have been converted into intensive shrimp farms, catering to a multibillion dollar global industry. since the explosion of the industry in the 1980s when the world s appetite for this luxury food grew, there have been increasing allegations of violence and land grabbing by criminal gangs. i ve come to bangladesh to hear first hand about the hidden abuses in the industry, and the detrimental effect of saltwater shrimp farms on these women s health and livelihoods. poor people are being exploited by the rich and powerful and poverty is not being eradicated. these shrimp are so expensive, and poor people can t even dream of buying them. it s
is riverbeds of rural bangladesh, thousands of fields where rice was once grown have been converted into intensive shrimp farms, catering to a multibillion dollar global industry. since the explosion of the industry in the 1980s when the world s appetite for this luxury food grew, there have been increasing allegations of violence and land grabbing by criminal gangs. i ve come to bangladesh to hear first hand about the hidden abuses in the industry, and the detrimental effect of saltwater shrimp farms on these women s health and livelihoods. poor people are being exploited by the rich and powerful and poverty is not being eradicated. these shrimp are so expensive, and poor people can t even dream of buying them. it s taken me years to gain exclusive access to the working conditions of this remote, often secretive community. now these women farmers are fighting back to protect their rights. frozen shrimp exports are worth about $500 million to the bangladeshi economy. after ga